


Frozen Hearts

by wonderlandiscrumbling



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Light Romance, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 05:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandiscrumbling/pseuds/wonderlandiscrumbling
Summary: Oswald fears that he's too selfish to love or be loved.





	Frozen Hearts

Oswald stood staring at Ed, he found himself doing it rather often. He occasionally found it difficult to take pleasure in his old friend’s frozen state, seeing that look of anguish in his eyes. He debated with himself time and time again over why Ed was reaching for him, if he was going to grab him and beg him to release him or just shoot him or maybe attack him. He swallowed hard thinking about the fact Ed had actually wanted to die, Ed’s behavior in that period of time had been reckless, it had seemed like he’d genuinely wanted to die. The thought was unnerving.

“That can’t be healthy.”

He turned to see Sofia walking up to stand by his side, her eyes fixed on the macabre art piece in the center of the Iceberg Lounge. He looked back to Ed.

“No, it’s totally fine, Victor said he should be fine kind of like a coma.” 

“No, not him, I meant you….Half the time I come to visit you you’re staring at him, and just the fact you kept him. Why did you keep him?” She inquired.

There was no judgement in her tone, just a sort of morbid curiosity as to why anybody would want to freeze their ex-friend and put them on display in a night club. Then again it was Gotham city.

“I couldn’t kill him.” He responded honestly.

“After what you told me he did to you?”

Now there was the slightest hint of judgement and disbelief in her voice as she looked at him.

“I lo-love him. I know it’s stupid, I don’t even know how to explain why I’m still in love with him, but I am.” 

What had happened had technically been his own fault. If he’d just let Ed carry on with that ridiculous girl from the library instead of getting between them, killing her, and lying to him about it. It had been a moment of panic though, little forethought behind it. He deeply regretted it now, but it was far too late to make things better. He knew if he ever thawed Ed out then he’d want to murder him.

“I suppose love does make us do crazy things.” 

He smiled sadly at her words. He looked at her, watched her as she stared at Ed’s frozen figure. There was something in the way she looked at the frozen man that was sad, as if she in some way understood the situation, understood the pain that lay there between the two. He felt that familiar terrifying sensation, his heart skipping a beat as he looked at her. It terrified him that she could make him feel this way, that anybody could make him feel this way.

“That, that it does.” He spoke quietly feeling incapable of proper responses.

She turned to face him, he blushed when she touched his arm. He looked away feeling moronic for caring, for letting her in when he told himself he wasn’t going to allow anybody close to him again. He felt that Ed’s frozen form was a brilliant reminder of why he shouldn’t let somebody in, why he shouldn’t allow himself to fall in love.

“You know, not everybody wants to hurt you.” 

“It’s either that or I hurt them….Ed was right about me.”

He hated saying it, admitting that there had been truth in his words back then. He was selfish, he did selfish things like freezing Ed and putting him on display instead of letting him go. He kept people, he manipulated them and blackmailed then to ensure that he had their loyalty. He looked at Sofia, he feared that sooner or later she’d be one of those people or she already was one.

“He wasn’t, you aren’t inherently evil. You’re devious, cunning, and rather kind honestly….When I came here I was worried that you might be ruining everything that my father worked so hard to build.” 

“Did I?” 

She smiled shaking her head, long curls of dark brown hair bouncing. 

“No, it’s….It’s different and I was initially angry, but my father….He put so much time into this city, into his work, and he just abandoned the rest of us. Mother was barely able to care for us, so it really was just me and my brother looking out for each other. It’s too consuming to run things the way that he did.” She stepped closer and his breath caught in his throat. “This place, your past….Don’t let it consume you.”

He wanted to argue, wanted to tell her that it wasn’t overly consuming him. He wanted to explain that he had nothing else outside of the city, outside of his Lounge, and controlling what things in his life he could easily control. This, her, love he couldn’t control emotions or relationships that didn’t involve employment. He supposed in that way she scared him just as much as Ed scared him. Yet when she placed her hand against his cheek he leaned into her touch, placed his hand on top of hers just needing her touch to stay a little longer.

“I promise, I won’t.”

He wasn’t sure if he could keep that promise but looking into her eyes and feeling her touch made him want to keep his word. He dared to reach out and touch her, lightly stroke his fingers along her cheek. He could feel the warmth of her body against his and he wondered when she had gotten so close to him, he felt enveloped in her, in the scent of her perfume and her shampoo. He leaned in pressing his lips to hers in a hesitant kiss, he feared she would be repulsed by him. He wasn’t sure he could handle another person being disgusted by him and his affection. 

She kissed him back, her lips pressing against his in a way that was much more certain of what they were doing, of what she wanted. She wanted him, and he could feel that, he couldn’t do much to stop the stray tears rolling down his cheeks as they kissed. She didn’t mock him or get angry, simply brushed the tears from his cheeks, her lips loving and gentle against his as they continued to kiss. If they stayed like this forever he felt certain he couldn’t ruin it.


End file.
